You've been there, done that. You have to do something right now on your PC but the screen is blank, meaning it's turned off. You growl. You're in for a long wait whilst Windows decides what it needs to do to get your computer to run. I mean, it's not like it's got other things to do.
Just how do you make your computer boot faster?
It seems like the older your PC is, the longer it takes for it to boot up. It's as though no-one at Microsoft thinks you'd ever want to switch your PC off in the first place.
Fortunately, there are some things you can do to reduce the time it takes your computer to run through its boot sequence.
Windows checks anything that automatically runs as soon as you start your computer.Naturally that includes the version of Windows you're running. Plus all the other software that absolutely must run on your system. Windows Messenger. Apple's iTunes music program. Your anti-virus software. Maybe anti-spyware software. Skype so you can make cheap phone calls. The list goes on. Every time Windows boots up, it checks each and every one of these start-up programs.
It is possible to discover what these programs are. But you should be careful - just because you don't recognize a program doesn't automatically mean it shouldn't be running. Some of the services that run behind the scenes have names you wouldn't begin to guess at. But if you remove them, could make your PC unbootable. If you're in any doubt about a start-up program, play safe and leave it be. It won't do you any good if you remove a program, only to spend hours (or dollars) fixing the trouble. Unless you're brave, I'd suggest leaving start-up programs to your computer support person.
The next thing to look at is the Windows registry. This is the dark place where Windows stores information about your PC and the programs on it. Most of it is necessary. But removing or upgrading programs will almost always leave traces of itself in the registry. This causes your PC to slow down. Occasionally it could even crash your computer altogether.
The good news is that you can fix this yourself using a purpose designed Registry checking program. This will scan through the Windows registry, looking for errors, inconsistencies and out of date information. Once it's done that, you'll get a report and the program can be allowed to go off and correct the errors it's found. This is simple, quick and effective. I recommend this registry cleaner software - it's the one I personally use.
If you'd like to know more about speeding up your Windows system, click here.
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